Vortex jet pump



May 25, 1965 A. Y. DODGE VORTEX JET PUMP Filed Nov. 19. 1962 I NVENTOR.

ADIEL Y. DODGE.

United States Patent Office 3,185,107 Patented May 25, 1965 3,185,167 VQRTEX JET PUMP Adiel Y. Dodge, 206 S. Main St., Rockford, 111. Filed Nov. 19, 1362, Ser. No. 233,549 3 Claims. (1. 103-263) There is need for an improved vacuum pump or exhauster of simpler construction and higher :efliciency, particularly one which more efliciently converts the discharge velocity into static pressure head. This I have accomplished in a device without moving parts and with a minimum of complication over and above existing jet pumps.

This invention is an improvement over and above my co-pending applications Serial Number 155,402 and 129,- 689, now Patent No. 3,131,645 and Patent No. 3,134,338, respectively.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved vacuum pump or an exhauster having no moving parts. My vacuum pump or exhauster is comprised of a moreor-less standard jet exhauster or ejector plus helical vane to set the fluid into a swirl, located after the mixing chamber, followed by a vortex chamber. Said vortex chamber is preferably of snail shell type.

The purpose of the vortex chamber is to convert high velocity fluid into static pressure by the centrifugal force caused by the swirling vortex. The action of the swirling vortex is very similar to that of a centrifugal pump. However, in this case, there is no impeller. The swirling fluids (liquid vapor or gas) sets up centrifugal force due to its own swirl, with no moving parts Various other applications of the invention as set forth in my patent application filed simultaneously herewith as well as other objects and advantages thereof will be more readily apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation in section, more particularly along the section line /2 /2 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 2 is a similar view of a modified form;

FIGURE 3 is an end view, looking from the right side towards the left, of the vortex chamber as shown in elevation in FIGURES l and 2.

As shown in FIGURE 1, there is provided .a high velocity nozzle receiving fluid (gas or vapor) indicated by arrow 11 and discharging it at higher velocities as indicated by 11a into a mixing chamber 3. In the latter end of the mixing chamber 13 is provided a helical vane 14- which sets the fluid passing through into a swirling motion. Said fluid enters a suitable vortex housing 15. The fluid passes through passage 17, gradually decreasing in velocity and increasing in static pressure due to action of centrifugal force thereon and the increasing flow areas of the continuous circular passage 17. Said fluid is finally transmitted to the exhaust passage 18 at lower velocities and higher static pressure.

In FIGURE 2, like parts have been shown and indicated by similar numbers preceded by 2; i.e., nozzle 10 becomes 210, etc. However, the diffuser chamber 220 is indicated by a dimension line showing its length. The difluser chamber has been omitted in the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1, but is retained in the apparatus shown in FIGURE 2. Otherwise there is no important difference.

In some cases, it may be desirable to have a diffuser chamber which consists of a conical bore having a slight angular divergence so that the flow area increases as the fluid passes from left to right, thus converting velocity into pressure by the diffuser method as shown in FIG- URE 2.

It is a well known fact that a diffuser has very limited efliciency because of loss due to turbulence, My set of helical vanes very well confines and controls the flow reducing the turbulence of the fluid and the loss due to turbulence.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the swirling fluid passes into a vortex chamber immediately after flowing around the helical vanes. Due to centrifugal action, the fluid is rther converted from high velocity to higher static pressure in the vortex chamber.

In operation: High pressure fluid (liquid vapor or gas) 11 enters through nozzle 10. Said high velocity fluid induces a flow 11a in bore 13 by the principle of induction or aspiration. The mixture of the high pressure fluid 11 is mixed with fluid 12 sucked in. The moderately high velocity mixture so formed passes around helical vanes 14- thereby setting up a swirl in the combined fluids, They enter the vortex chamber 15. The passage 17 gradually increases in flow area due to its increase in peripheral dimension partly as the radius increases. Fluid flows through passage 17 in a spiral manner thereby forming a forced vortex which culminates in exhaust passage 18 as fluid having a lower velocity but a higher static pressure. In this way, I have produced a fluid pump which operates making use of centrifugal force, yet having no impeller. The impeller force comes from the entering high velocity fluid which is transformed to a lower velocity higher pressure fluid.

While two embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that they are illustrative only and are not to be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being bad for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A vacuum pump comprising means forming a mixing chamber having an opening for fluid to be pumped, a jet nozzle discharging a second fluid into the mixing chamber to impel said first fluid through the mixing chamber, a helical vane in the mixing chamber to set fluid passing theret-hrough into a swirl, a vortex chamber connected to the mixing chamber to receive the swirling fluid and further convert velocity to static pressure by means of centrifugal force, the foregoing elements arranged in the series set forth herein,

2. The vacuum pump of claim 1 in which the mixing chamber is an elongated tubular chamber of substantially uniform cross section.

3. The vacuum pump of claim 1 in which the vortex chamber is defined by a spiral casing having a central axial inlet connection to the mixing chamber and a tangential outlet connection.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,007,322 11/61 Dodge 230- X FOREIGN PATENTS 785,448 5/ 35 France. 1,150,946 8/57 France.

191,48 8 8/37 Switzerland.

LAURENCE V. EFNER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VACUUM PUMP COMPRISING MEANS FORMING A MIXING CHAMBER HAVING AN OPENING FOR FLUID TO BE PUMPED, A JET NOZZLE DISCHARGING A SECOND FLUID INTO THE MIXING CHAMBER TO IMPEL SAID FIRST FLUID THROUGH THE MIXING CHAMBER, A HELICAL VANE IN THE MIXING CHAMBER TO SET FLUID PASSING THERETHROUGH INTO SWIRL, A VOTEX CHAMBER CONNECTED TO THE MIXING CHAMBER TO RECEIVE THE SWIRLING FLUID AND FURTHER CONVERT VELOCITY TO STATIC PRESSURE BY MEANS OF CENTRIFUGAL FORCE, THE FOREGOING ELEMENTS ARRANGED IN THE SERIES SET FORTH HEREIN. 